Lady Octavia
by Cyber Clash Pony
Summary: Octavia is a polite mare on her way up to fame as a cellist. She was brought up in a strict manner in order to be the perfect member of a perfect family. Her family knew what was best and what kind of pony wouldn't want to be perfect? One day, she meets a homeless mare named Vinyl Scratch and takes her in, asking her to be her servant. Vinyl opens Octavia's eyes to her choices.
1. Chapter 1

The Canterlotian ensemble walked out of the music hall. They had just finished practice and were about to walk home together. They chatted about their humble achievements of the day. Frederic Horseshoepin, the pianist, had mastered a very complex composition after only three days. This composition was made by Harpo Parish Nadermane, the harpist and part-time composer of the ensemble, who was impressed that the pianist could play his masterpiece. Beauty Brass, who played a variety of instruments, boasted about how she was requested to do a solo performance at Fancy Pant's Theatre.

Then there was Octavia, the cellist; she never really talked about her talents and her position in the high society. Rather, she congratulated everyone on everything they would brag about.

Soon enough, three members walked north to their homes, but the cellist had to walk south to get to her destination. She positioned her cello case on her back and looked at the advertisement posters on the building. One of them said 'Earth Pony Cellist Octavia. Performing at Melody & Harmony Theatre!' She smiled. Melody and Harmony were twins who owned one of the biggest theatres in Equestria. Octavia was very close to them and the twins wanted her to perform. _That day is coming up pretty soon…I should make a note to practice even more than usual. There are so many shows coming up, I wonder if I could actually get any sleep._

Snapping out of her reverie, Octavia looked around to make sure she wasn't caught doing absolutely nothing. She was known as a hard-working cellist and just one whisper could ruin her whole reputation. As her eyes shot toward various directions, she noticed something, or rather, someone. Right there in front of the music hall, was a homeless mare. The grey pony had seen her all the time when going to practice sessions, but she always felt something in her chest turn to stone when she saw her.

The cellist knew almost every physical aspect of the street mare's being: she wore purple shades, had white fur, two tones of blue in a very messy mane and tail. She was also a unicorn and her cutie mark, a double-eighth note, suggested that her special talent was music. Octavia always pondered what would happen if she were to talk to the mysterious mare. If she were to be seen, would they see her as a pony who mingled with peasants, or someone generous enough to give her precious free time to a lonely homeless mare? Probably not the latter, for the high society had always frowned upon plebeians for some reason rather than helping them.

Octavia could feel a gaze coming from the direction of such a plebeian. She walked along as if she hadn't been suspiciously staring at the poor pony. While she walked, she continued her thoughts.

The high society was usually represented to the rest of the world as ponies like Fancy Pants. However, anyone who lived in big cities like Manehattan or Canterlot knew the ugly truth. And that truth was that unless you wanted to be taken for granted, you had to either be unbelievably wealthy or aggressive. You had to be friends with the right ponies, marry the right pony and live up to _everypony's_ expectations. You had to always be on your hooves because one wrong move and everyone would fancy you a waste of time.

Octavia didn't exactly want to be famous, but she loved her cello and her parents might do unspeakable things if she disappointed them. What were these unspeakable things? Well, they were actually so unspeakable, that her parents never talked about them. They just threatened Octavia with it.

You could probably compare all of the high class with Hoity Toity, and the ringleader being Prince Blueblood. Sure, nopony liked him; he was as stuck-up as can be, but that's what would make him the ringleader after all. Octavia did indeed despise Canterlot with a burning passion, especially when she was caught acting like a true Canterlotian. Still, she had stayed here for various reasons: she was pretty successful, her parents told her to do so, she had plenty of friends who weren't _too_ stuck-up, and she had nowhere else to be.

Finally, the grey pony had arrived at her home. It was the typical Canterlotian house; the architecture was unique, with a spiral staircase leading to the entrance, a giant balcony with an amazing view from the mountain Canterlot was on, and it was quite spacious. She repositioned the cello on her back and walked up the staircase. When she opened the door, the house was quite dark due to the low position of the sun. She didn't really have much energy to turn on the lights. All she wanted to do was practice a few pieces for the twins, have a drink, shower, and sleep. She was too tired to be hungry.

Deciding to take a shower first, Octavia turned on the cold water on her shower because it was Thursday. She always showered with cold water on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. While enjoying the sensation of water pouring down her body, her thoughts wandered toward the mare on the streets. She had seen her plenty of times. Sometimes, Octavia knew she was looking at her behind those shades.

_But what if she wears them because she's blind?_

_Octavia, I've seen her head match up with where you are going, I don't think she's blind._

_But what if that's because she can hear me walking?_

_Well, ask her if she's blind._

_I don't even know her! I can't just walk up and ask her about her disabilities!_

_Sure, and you can't talk to yourself either?_

_Okay, this conversation is over._

As her internal conversation ended, the mare stepped out and grabbed a towel. She vigorously dried herself and put on a robe. With her robe on, she went to her music room down the hall where she had put her cello. She turned on the lights and walked toward the cello. She took it out of its case along with the bow. After a minute of balancing herself and visualising the musical notes from the songs, she began to play.

The room was filled with music. At first, the notes were slow and grim, but they grew into a staccato of higher notes. Then the harder part in which her notes had to have a sense of fear came in. The mare played as if she had known the song all her life. Her talent was very impressive. She was one of the few earth ponies that could play an instrument without any trouble. And although she denies it any time it is suggested, she might actually be the best cellist in all of Equestria.

It was already midnight by the time she finished practicing. Now she was too tired to have the drink she promised herself. She didn't complain, though. Octavia simply went off to bed and fell asleep after ten minutes of getting comfortable.

Octavia's dreams were quite interesting most of the time. Like many artists, her ideas came from dreams. However, her dreams were like those of a blind pony- she saw nothing. The musician could only hear music and at most she would see a cello being played or music notes being placed on a music staff. She would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, play and record her composition and go back to sleep. Strangely, Octavia wouldn't continue with her creations. No matter how good, she would just write it down, store it in a folder, and leave it to be covered in dust. She didn't believe that her creations were good enough.

Tonight was one of those nights. She had her idea, recorded it, and left it to die in a limbo of dust particles. She sighed at what she considered a "lack of talent." _I don't even know why I keep these. They just take up space!_ She thought as she looked at her shelves that were entirely filled with music sheets. She crawled back in her warm bed and, once more, fell asleep.

Octavia woke up at seven and began her morning routine: She prepared simple bowl oatmeal for breakfast, and ate quickly. She went into the bathroom, brushed her hair for ten minutes, brushed her teeth, and put on her bowtie. Once she felt presentable, she sprayed a bit of perfume on herself (her mother said it was lady-like), grabbed her cello and began to walk toward the music hall. She was grateful that it was Friday because Octavia needed her rest.

The cellist walked into the building and went upstairs to room 417, where ensemble practiced together. She greeted everyone in her calm yet cheerful way, "Good morning, Harpo," she said kissing the purple stallion on both cheeks. "Frederic," she moved to the pianist and did the same. "Beauty!" she said before repeating her gesture once more.

"Good morning, Octavia," Frederic began, "Would you like a cup of rose tea?" he offered.

"No, thank you. I had coffee this-" she cut herself off, realising that she had missed that part of her routine _dammit._ "Actually, I think I would like a cup."

"I'll ask Script to get it for you. I do believe he is in room 312 polishing the brass instruments," said Harpo. He walked out and made sure to close the door behind him.

Beauty Brass stepped beside Octavia, "So, Tavia, we were thinking for Harpo's song 'Celestia Took a Star' we should have a diva sing. I already have lyrics for it. And since you know Melody and Harmony, maybe we could-"

Octavia held up a hoof to interrupt the brunette mare, "Pardon me for interrupting, but we've been over this, Beauty. I am not going to have neither Melody nor Harmony work for us for free. That would be abusing my friendship and I refuse to do such a selfish thing."

"'Tis not selfish! You are doing it for the ensemble, not just yourself," Beauty Brass argued.

"Beauty Brass, no means no. Even if I weren't part of this ensemble, I still wouldn't let you use them for free. Besides, they don't even like singing opera," the cellist countered.

"Oh, alright. However, you do know that they wouldn't think any less of you, right?"

"I know. They're great friends, but I still don't want to take advantage of them."

"Well, I still want my lyrics to be sung…" Beauty Brass trailed off, looking down at the music sheet in her hoof.

Octavia wasn't good at comforting, but she still awkwardly put her hoof on the blue mare's shoulder, "We can ask Script to find us a singer. For now, let's practice the music."

Just then, Harpo walked in, carrying a cup of tea in a green field of magic. He levitated it toward Octavia, who thanked him, and spoke, "Now, let's get practicing."

Practice, although lasting seven hours, went by very quickly. Their assistant Script recorded and did some sound editing, "Bravo, everypony!" He said, clapping his hooves. "You all did marvellous! Now, by Wednesday, I will have a few auditions ready for you to decide on our diva. Until anon, and have an absolutely wonderful weekend!" The cheerful stallion made his way to his office and left the ensemble.

The members packed up their instruments and walked out of the building together. Harpo was the first to speak of their accomplishments, "Well, it seems like we truly have improved since our last session. If all goes well, I'll take you all out for a celebration at Le Cheval."

"Yes, that does sound nice," Frederic said, agreeing with the idea, "While we're on the topic of food, Does anyone want this bag of chips? I got it from the vending machine, but I just now saw how many calories it has. It is absolutely absurd! How can you eat this vile food from Tartarus?" he said, holding a bag of chips.

"I suppose I'll take them," Octavia said, "I haven't been eating much these days and I could use the carbohydrates."

The pianist gave the mare her chip bag and the ensemble broke apart to reach their homes. As Octavia walked, she looked at the bag of chips. _Sweet Luna and her Stars! Five hundred calories?! How much grease can a pony put in these bags? Ew, is there oil coming from the sides? _Octavia wanted to throw the chips away, but didn't have the ignorance to do so. Instead she looked around and saw the mare on the streets. _Surely she is hungry enough to eat anything, right? Giving her junk food isn't rude, right?_

The cellist walked up to the mare, with the bag in her hooves. She didn't get too close in case somepony was nearby. Octavia hesitated, but then decided to throw the chip bag toward the mare's direction and gallop away.

"Ow. I was sleeping," the mare said groggily.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to hit you in the face," the cellist said, turning around.

"It's fine, Octavia. You gave me greasy food. And greasy food is good food."

"Still, I shouldn't ha-wait. How do you know my name?"

The shade-wearing mare opened the chip bag with her magic, "You're all over the posters. If you're as good as those announcements say you are, you should keep on living your dream," she said, eating a chip.

"Hmm…I'll make sure I do that. Bye for now. I need to head home; my cello is really heavy." And so the grey earth pony galloped all the way home.

Once she arrived at her home, Octavia put her cello in her music room and was on her way to the bedroom when she heard a knock on her door.

The cellist opened the door, "Yes, may I help you?"

Standing outside her door was a grey pegasus with blonde hair and crossed eyes, "Hi, are you Missus Fleur de Lis?" she asked.

"No, I'm sorry. You must have gotten the wrong house," the grey pony said, as she was about to close the door.

"Oh, well could you point me out to where Miss Octavia lives? I can't find her anywhere. I have this letter that Miss Melody wanted to deliver ASAP," said the mailmare.

"I'm the Miss Octavia you seek. May I have the letter?"

"Oh, hi, Miss Octavia! I'm Ditzy Doo, but you may call me 'Derpy Hooves.' I have a letter for you this afternoon," Derpy took out the letter and gave it to Octavia.

"Thank you, Derpy." Said the earth pony as she took the letter.

"Oh, and would you like a complementary muffin? They're free and you can only get them with Derpy Hooves Postal Service! Today, I'm giving out blueberry muffins." The pegasus said, as she took out a muffin from her mailbag.

"I would like a muffin. Thank you." Octavia received a blueberry muffin.

"No problem! And when you need your mail delivered, trust Derpy Hooves Postal Service! We also carry packages and give out free muffins to our customers! Bye!" the mare said before she tripped all the way down the front steps. "I'm okay!" and she flew off.

"A strange little pony, she is." Octavia closed the door behind her and set the muffin down on the counter. The letter was, as Derpy Hooves said, from Melody. Octavia opened it and began to read:

_My Dearest Octavia,_

_Next month you will be preforming at our theatre. Harmony is getting the details set for you, but since it's kind of my day off, I wanted to see if we could go to the Drycker bar. I figured you've been so busy, you haven't had time to relax. So, why not put down your cello, meet me at eight in the bar, we'll have fun and come back to my house after a few drinks, baby? I'm just kidding, of course, but do come to the bar. I haven't had a drink all week!_

_Love,_

_Melody_

The cellist took the muffin from the counter and snuck a bite into it. _Not bad._ She decided she would go to Drycker with Melody. Octavia could really use a margarita tonight. The cellist went to her bedroom and got a book off of her shelf. She didn't even care to read the title, and started reading right away.

From what Octavia had gathered, she had been reading an interesting novel about murder investigations. _The Purple Magnifying Glass_ was an interesting tale about three friends and a victim of a very violent criminal. The cellist had been so immersed in reading, that when she put the book down, it was already seven thirty-three. She had long since finished her blueberry muffin and was now brushing her hair and teeth.

She was out the door by seven forty-two and made her way to the bar. She roamed the cobblestone streets with modesty. Every pony that walked by had their noses held high and walked with over-confidence. The cellist, instead, cantered casually through the alleys until she could make out the flashing lights of a sign that read "_Drycker Casual Bar."_

The cellist walked into the bar and relished the smell of orchids in the building. Drycker had a thing for orchids and purple and blue lights. There were small flowerpots that adorned each table and more extravagant orchids were placed in the VIP section. The lighting was dim and would gradually change from blue to purple. There was a currently unoccupied wooden stage in the back where special guests would perform sometimes. Covering the whole western side was a bar. Octavia could see a lavender earth pony with strawberry pink mane and tail waving at her.

The cellist adjusted her bowtie and walked past the occupied tables of social ponies to talk to mare, "Hello, Melody," she said, kissing her on both cheeks.

"Hey, Octavia. I ordered you one of those special strawberry margaritas you like."

"Thank you, Melody." Octavia climbed onto the chair next to her friend and took a sip of her drink. She felt the cold strawberry and tequila rush down her throat.

"So how are the other shows coming along, dear?" the lavender pony asked, as she took a sip of her own drink.

Octavia sighed at the inquiry, "Well, they _could _be better…"

"Uh-oh. What's wrong? Is your agent being an arse again?"

"No. Beauty Brass still wants you and your sister to sing. The more I say 'no', the more she insists. Even if we ask Script to find us a singer, she probably still won't be satisfied. I don't even know why she acts like we have to save every bit we make. We're pretty successful; I see no reason to hoard," the cellist ranted.

"Look, if she won't get over it, we can sing for you guys, but I'm sure she'll get it through her head over time. Even the most stubborn ponies give in with a bit of time." Melody reassured her, placing a hoof on the stressed friend's shoulder.

"And that's not the worst part," Octavia continued, "Now, my parents are pestering me about what to do to get more money and fame. I tried to tell them many times that I am aware of what I am doing, but they just won't let me do what I want with my career!"

"You know, if you want them to leave you alone, you could become my personal dancer." Melody seduced, waggling her eyebrows.

"Oh, shut up," Octavia giggled. She took another sip of her margarita.

From her peripheral vision, Octavia could see a familiar mare sitting down one stool down. She eavesdropped on her conversation with one of the bartenders, "Hey, thanks for letting me use the staff showers, Salty."

"It's the least I can do, Vi. If ya need anything, just come to me."

"Well, I'm gonna go sit down at the table in the corner. I don't wanna be seen." She grabbed her drink and walked off to her table.

"Hey, Octavia, are you listening?"

The grey pony jumped, "Oh, my. I am _so _sorry, Melody. I saw someone come in and I didn't even realise you were talking! Please forgive me, I-"

Melody interjected, "Whoa, calm down, filly. All I said was that I'm going to the bathroom. In the mean time, you can go talk to whoever that is you saw. Unless if it's a secret lover I should know about?"

"What? No!" Octavia said quickly.

"Thought so. I've got my eye on you." She said before walking off.

The cellist moved to the bartender and began talking to him, "Excuse me, sir?"

"Yeah? What do you need?" the bartender answered. He was a muscular dark purple unicorn with a dark red and blue mane.

"Who is that mare you were talking to just now, if I may ask?"

"Oh, that was Vinyl Scratch. You seen her around or something?" he smiled.

"Sort of. I've seen her on the streets. Not to be rude, but how did she get into this place? I don't see the other customers giving her any glares."

"Heh, I guess you could say that the more accepting ponies come here. They all know about Vinyl, but there's not much they can do about her." He frowned.

"What do you mean? They want to get rid of her?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Not really. Y'see, Vinyl doesn't exactly have a place to live. Her closer friends are either strugglin' enough as it is, or live really far away from Canterlot. And for her part, she always rejects other ponies' offers unless it's a small amount o' bits."

Octavia raised her eyebrow at this, "So she doesn't want ponies offering her a home?"

The stallion shrugged, "I don't know what her deal is. I'm guessing she's stubborn, but she just brushes me off when I bring up the subject. S'pretty weird, right?"

"Indeed. Well, I think I'll go talk to her. Thank you for the information, Mr…" she left the bartender to finish the sentence.

"Salt Rim, at your service," he bowed.

"Thank you, Mister Salt Rim," and the cellist was off to make a new friend.

Vinyl Scratch was sitting at a booth in the corner, drinking whiskey. The cellist approached her, "Would it be too much trouble if I sat?"

The mare shook her head, "Nah, you can sit."

Octavia took her seat and asked her, "You remember me, right?"

"The mare who threw a bag of chips at my face? Yeah, I remember. Good times, right?"

Octavia blushed out of humiliation, "I-it was an accident! I didn't mean to!"

Vinyl Scratch laughed, "I know, don't worry. You were generous enough to give me food. How you give it to me doesn't matter."

Octavia quickly took the opportunity to broach the subject, "Speaking of giving, do you have a home? Because if not, I wouldn't mind a roommate."

"Not this again…" Vinyl Scratch angrily murmured, "Look, Octavia, I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine, okay? I can manage without any help."

"For Celestia's sake, Vinyl, you live in the alley in front of my workplace!"

The mare adjusted her shades with a hoof, "So? I sometimes crash at my friends' houses. And no offense, but you just met me, why are you randomly offering me a roof over my head?"

"Because I-" _Wait…Why _am _I offering her my home? For all I know, she could have escaped from prison! Well, maybe that's too farfetched, but the point is I hardly know her! _"Because it would benefit the both of us. You need a home, and I need a roommate." _Why do I keep going with this?_

"Octavia, please. I just don't want to. It's not because of you, I just…" Vinyl trailed off.

"It's just what? Pray tell, why won't you just accept my offer?" the cellist asked slowly.

"Because…" Vinyl sighed, "Because if I accept, I'll have to pay you back, and I doubt I'll ever be able to."

Octavia smiled, "Vinyl Scratch, this is just because I want to, I'm not expecting anything in return."

"Yeah, but I _have _to. I'll feel guilty if I don't," the mare said, crossing her hooves.

"Well, how about returning a favour with a favour?" the cellist offered.

"Fine, but it has to be a huge one. It can't just be like, 'you can organise my closet' or something small like that" Vinyl required.

Octavia tapped a hoof to her chin in thought. She let a malicious smile grow on her face, "Well…that's_ one _thing you could do for me. I think…I'll hire you."

"Hire me? Like a job?" the homeless unicorn was interested and sat up straight.

"Yes, a job," Octavia held out a hoof and loudly offered, "Vinyl Scratch, I want you to work as my butler."

Vinyl Scratch deadpanned, "A butler? Really? That's as big as you can get?"

"Oh, it isn't a small job, Vinyl. You'd have so many chores, and I might ask you for extra favours quite often. Oh, and I need to be satisfied with your services," Octavia spoke excitedly.

"Well…okay. Fine, but no easy favours. I have to be worked hard."

"Deal. Now shake my hoof. I can hardly feel the blood rushing to it."

Vinyl completed her first task, "Okay, I'll meet you out the door when you're ready to go home, okay?"

"Right." Octavia had a large smile on her face as she walked back to the bar.

"Octavia, what the hell! You know the rule! Never leave your margarita unattended. It looks so lonely…" the lavender pony looked sadly over at the drink.

Octavia quickly apologised before downing her drink, excited.

"Damn, filly! Calm down. That has tequila in it!" Octavia put down the glass and placed a few bits on the table. Melody noticed the smile on her face, "What? Did something happen between you and that mare you were talking to? Octavia was about to say something but was immediately cut off, "Oh, no…don't tell me…she's your one night stand, isn't she? How could you Octavia? I thought we had something!"

Octavia felt the weight of her friend against her as she was hugged rather hard, "Melody, ponies are looking! Get off of me."

"But you're so soft," the lavender pony muttered into her fur.

"Are you drunk?"

"Nah. I'm sober. Well, maybe a little drunk. But I can call a cab. You go have fun with your playmate, okay?" she giggled, and got off of her friend.

"Cut it out, you. I'm not interested in anything sensual," she said getting off of the stool.

"Fine. Have fun, anyway." She waved.

The cellist exited Drycker and, as promised, her butler was waiting for her, staring blankly ahead, like a soulless servant, "There you are. Shall we go?"

"Yes, my lady," she bowed, with a grin.

"Cut it out," her master chuckled.

And they began to walk toward their home.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk from Drycker was not a particularly long one. During the walk, Octavia glanced at her new servant. She kept wondering why her eyes were hidden behind those shades. It was night, making the use of sunglasses completely useless for a seeing pony. However, Octavia knew better than to question somepony's choice of clothing. After all, she wouldn't like it very much if Vinyl insulted her bowtie.

"You like what you see?" Vinyl asked, giggling after the cellist's eyes had hovered over her for a while.

"I…guess?" Octavia responded, oblivious to the innuendo.

"Hmph. So how much longer?" the servant asked, switching the topic.

"Actually, it's this one," Octavia said as she nodded toward the magnificent home with two treble clefts on the balcony walls, visible from their place.

Vinyl gave a low whistle out of acknowledgement, "This house is huge! Do all Canterlot ponies live in places like these? I knew they were rich, but this one has your cutie mark and everything!"

"Not all ponies live in places like this. I simply have a lot of money from my parents, and I make quite a bit of money with my job as well."

Octavia opened the golden gates, allowing Vinyl to hold the door open for her mistress. She stepped inside after the grey mare and looked around. The house was absolutely incredible! In contrast with the smooth purple bricks used for the outside, the interior was an incredibly elegant pink, produced by the lights of a chandelier made of topaz. The floor was alabaster and there were two marble spiral staircases on either side.

Octavia showed her to the living room, past the entrance. It had redwood floors with a rug and two cushions in front of an unlit cobblestone hearth. The kitchen was white with grey and black cupboards. The master bedroom was upstairs, where the halls were all covered by a luxurious amethyst and pink carpet, and had a large black bed in a white and purple room. It even had it's own little balcony. Vinyl's room was right next to Octavia's; it was only a bit smaller than the cellist's and was designed to be grey and the bed was white with pink pillows. There were a few paintings on the walls, along with a closet and a wooden chair, but other than that the room had plenty of space for extra furnishing.

"What else do you need to know…Ah, the bathroom is to the left, across is the study. Next to that, the music room, and next to that is the theatre room. What do you think?" Octavia awaited her opinion.

Vinyl's jaw had been ajar the whole time. She was completely in awe with the design, "This house…it's amazing. Did you do the design?"

"Oh, no no no. My parents designed this and hired workers to get it done. I know it looks a lot like something I would do, but I can get your room redone if you want," she offered.

"Please, don't. It's fine," Vinyl walked up to her mistress and hugged her tenderly, "Thank you so much."

Octavia wasn't used to hugs, but she put a foreleg around her servant and said, "Well, it's not like I could leave you like that."

"Still, it's a lot. I couldn't possibly be able to thank you enough." Just then, Vinyl's stomach growled loudly. She hadn't eaten since the potato chips. She simply blushed and couldn't do anything else.

"I suppose sustenance would satiate your ravenousness?" The grey mare offered. Vinyl tilted her head in confusion and Octavia rephrased her sentence, "Would you like dinner, I mean?"

"Nah, you've given me enough. I'll be fine," she dismissed.

"Vinyl Scratch, until you are completely satisfied with all your needs, I won't let you work!" Octavia said with determination.

Vinyl smiled and reluctantly accepted, "Fine. But something small."

Once in the kitchen, the cellist prepared superb minestrone soup. Vinyl ate quickly and ravenously. When Octavia offered more, Vinyl refused, but the cellist didn't bother anymore. The unicorn cleaned up after herself and they sat on the living room couch for a while to talk.

Vinyl said to her, "You know, you're super generous. Like, it's insane. Every single second, you offer me something."

"Would you like me to not be so generous, then?" the cellist asked.

"See? There you go again. That's what I should be doing. I should be offering you anything I can think of."

The elegant pony chuckled, "You know, for my part, I wanted you here as a roommate. It wasn't entirely out of good heart."

"Yeah I get it," Vinyl smiled, "You've got this huge house with no one to share it with. You must feel so lonely! You poor thing, don't worry," Vinyl brushed her tail against Octavia's flank and whispered, "I'll let you be selfish with me."

"M-Miss Vinyl Scratch, you are my servant, n-not my sex slave!" Octavia blushed, her heartbeat becoming rapid.

"I know." The white mare said, "I was joking. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable. I just hadn't joked like that with anyone in a while."

"It's fine, but it's just that I'm not really…comfortable with that type of humour."

Vinyl sat up, as she seemed to have struck a chord, "So…you're, like, a prude or something?"

Octavia chuckled, "Kind of…I'm…I-um…" the cellist began to blush.

"You don't have to be ashamed of telling something to your servant. I swear if you were ever raped, I'll stop those jokes right now. I mean, that's…super bad, like I'm sorry if you went through that. Is that what's bothering you?" Vinyl said, grabbing Octavia's hoof to comfort her.

The cellist immediately pulled her hoof from the unicorn's grasp and sighed, "No, it's not rape…I'm sorry, I just…" She trailed off, chuckling and blushing. Once again she couldn't say the right words.

Vinyl began to put the pieces together and deducted the sheepishness down to one last thing. She asked slowly since Octavia seemed sensitive, "Miss Octavia, are you…into mares?"

The grey mare took a deep breath and nodded, "I think I should have told you that before bringing you into my home. I haven't told anyone." Octavia's cheeks became more sanguine and she swallowed a lump in her throat as she imagined Vinyl Scratch walking right out the door.

Instead, the unicorn hugged her friend, tighter than last time, "You're so weird. You probably have a bunch of nice friends, and yet you just tell a random pony you've just employed that you're gay. I don't mind though. It's not like it changes who you are."

Octavia let a small tear run down her cheek, "Thank you. I thought you would feel uncomfortable and leave me," she sobbed, burying herself in Vinyl's neck, "But I swear I'm not a pervert! I-I never even had a marefriend. I'm still new to it, and-"

"Chill," Vinyl commanded, "I've had gay friends before. It's not like you'd sneak into my bed in the middle of the night. I mean yeah, I've got a nice plot but-"

"Vinyl!" Octavia giggled, smacking her friend's shoulder and pulling away.

"Alright, Alright. I'll stop." Vinyl promised, "I'm really happy that you trusted me enough to tell me that."

"Well, you're going to be living with me, so you should probably be aware."

"Speaking of things I should be aware of, I need you to tell me what exactly I need to do, 'cuz I've never been a butler, so…" Vinyl trailed off.

"Of course, I wasn't expecting you to know right away. Do you think you'll need to write this down?"

"Nah, I got it."

"Okay, well," Octavia began, "since you're the only one here, I don't expect you to do everything all at once. Maybe one day, you can dust off the music room, study, and recording room, and other days you could clean the kitchen and the living room, and so on."

Octavia paused and Vinyl nodded her head, "Okay, don't clean everything in one day, got it."

The mistress nodded and continued explaining, "Whenever I get home, I will be expecting you to greet me at the door, or sometimes, you could take me home if you get the time. I will take care of all the bills so don't worry about that. You will be doing much of the shopping, and you'll be in charge of fixing anything that needs fixing, or call a professional if it comes to that; I have a phone book in the study. You could also help with the cooking if you won't be terribly busy, and I may ask you to bring me something now and then."

Vinyl Scratch nodded her head slowly, "Got it."

The grey mare took a deep breath, "I know it sounds like a lot, but I had to do it all by myself before you came along. I promise I'll help you out whenever I can."

"Don't worry, I got it," Vinyl said for the third time.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you passing out like I did."

"I've got my magic, okay? I can clean a bunch of things at once and then take care of you, well, your needs I mean," Vinyl said, blushing in embarrassment.

A giggle escaped the cellist's lips, "I know what you meant to say." She looked at the clock, "Well, it's getting late. How about we both go to sleep? I wake up at seven tomorrow, so you need to be ready by then."

Vinyl bowed her head, "Of course, I'll be ready, my lady."

"You know, you needn't be so formal with me," Octavia smiled.

"I know," Vinyl said getting off of the couch, "It's just fun to speak fancy."

The next morning, Vinyl awoke Octavia by softly nudging the grey mare, who had made a cocoon out of blankets. Her mind was still trying to function while her servant brushed her hair and tied her bowtie. Once she had fully awoken, the cellist made her way to the bathroom whilst Vinyl went into the kitchen to prepare a fitting breakfast for her mistress.

"Let's see…does she have a cookbook around here or what?" Vinyl muttered to herself as she looked in every drawer and cupboard in the magnificent kitchen. Her search proved successful when she found the book, "Aha! Now, what do fancy ponies eat?" She quickly flipped with her magic until she found an Eggs Benedict recipe.

Vinyl used as much magic as she could to prepare her mistress's breakfast. She poached the eggs while toasting the crumpet and sliced the lettuce and tomato while she made the sauce. She was tired of using magic, so she hoped it would be worth it.

Octavia walked downstairs, and greeted Vinyl, "Good morning," she said simply.

"Good morning, Miss Octavia. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I slept wonderfully."

Vinyl placed the Eggs Benedict on the table as she sat down. She placed a napkin on the echelon's lap with her magic and let her eat her food as she brought a cup of tea she had been preparing for Octavia.

"How is it? Did I get the recipe right?" she asked as she placed the hot green tea next to the plate.

Octavia swallowed the sustenance in her mouth, "Tis absolutely delectable. Have you tried it?"

Vinyl shook her head, "Nah, I should always serve you first." Her stomach rumbled, in rebellion to her choice.

"Come now, grab a plate and sit with me. I don't want you to starve for my sake. That is why I took you in after all," Octavia ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," the unicorn said, grabbing another plate of the poached egg goodness.

"Now I can eat and not feel guilty, knowing you aren't starving."

Vinyl savoured the creamy yolk and sauce. She had been skittish to make sure she got every detail right down to the decorative cilantro on top. A couple minutes after her first bite, she asked with food still in her mouth, "You know, I've never met shomepony ash nishe ash you."

"Vinyl, could you please learn to avoid talking with your mouth full?" Vinyl nodded and swallowed, "Good, now start again."

She did as she was told. "I said that I've never met somepony as nice as you…in the upper crust, I mean."

"Really? Well, thank you." Octavia smiled.

Once they had finished eating, Vinyl cleaned the plates. She left them impeccably glossy with cleanliness, she went around the house, cleaning furiously with a mop wiping the floor quickly, a duster dusting the nearby shelves, careful to not drop anything on them, and a fresh rag and spray cleaning the windows of the room she was in, all with her magic. She even got the mail and took out the trash.

Octavia watched from the upstairs hall, with a bow in her hoof. She had been trying to practice playing. The noise of the unicorn cleaning frantically wasn't obnoxious, but it was distracting the cellist. The earth pony could see Vinyl rubbing her head. She seemed to have used a little too much magic. She came up to her and offered, "Would you like to take a break? You seem to tired."

Vinyl rubbed her temple, "Nah, it's fine. I'm just overusing my magic, I guess. I'll be fine, don't worry."

The classical musician knew Vinyl was only being stubborn and that she really did need a break, so she tried another method, "Well, I am composing a song, and I need to know if it sounds alright. Could you help me?"

Vinyl nodded, and led Octavia to the music room. The servant held the door for her mistress, and walked in afterwards. Once inside, Octavia took out one of Harpo's compositions from her desk drawer, while Vinyl sat down on a cushion in the room, and placed a hoof on her temple. She placed it on her music stand and positioned herself with her cello. Once she was prepared, the cellist took a deep breath and played.

Vinyl Scratch still felt an intense ache from her horn and her head. However, her eyes widened behind her shades and all of her pain was forgotten after a few minutes. It had been a long time since she had heard high quality music. Of course, Drycker put on music from their speakers if no one was performing, but the speakers would release an unpleasant static sound. Vinyl liked the performances as well, but the crowd wouldn't cheer for her, they would cheer for someone else, and Vinyl would feel nostalgic of her past.

Octavia's notes were fast and complicated, impressing the unicorn since Octavia lacked the use of magic. The notes grew slightly slower and slower, but Vinyl felt like the cellist had made them sombre without the intention. The unicorn's theory proved to be true as she noticed Octavia glare slightly at the sheet before her, as if scolding the notes to rewrite themselves to Octavia's satisfaction. The song came to a close a few measures later.

The cellist looked down, thinking about how she could have played better, and then at Vinyl, whose mouth was ajar. The earth pony noticed that her hoof was no longer massaging her head, meaning her music had soothed her as she had planned. Octavia placed herself on all four hooves, and prevented her cello from hitting the ground by holding its head with one hoof.

"What did you think?" Octavia asked, hoping to break the silence, hoping the mare's eyes were not closed in respite.

Vinyl snapped out of her trance, "Huh? Oh! It was amazing, Miss Octavia! It was probably the most amazing thing I've ever heard from classical music."

Octavia sighed in relief, and joked, "So you didn't sleep during my playing, right?"

"Hell no. How could I fall asleep in the middle of that awesomeness?"

The grey mare smiled, "Well, alright." She asked, "Do you think there was something I could fix? I really need this to be perfect."

"Well," the two-toned mane mare thought, "I'm not an expert in classical music, but there was this one part that felt a bit…sad. It was in the middle of the song, where the longer notes are. Are they supposed to be like that?"

Octavia looked through her sheet music, and found it. Measure forty-seven had notes written to the side that read, "play happier" and "must be jovial." She knew exactly what the unicorn meant. Octavia always made that faux pas in her playing. The cellist sighed, this time frustration, "I know about that. I've been trying to improve in that part, but no matter how many times I try, it just won't come out right, you know?"

Vinyl walked over to Octavia, "Actually, yeah. I know what that's like. I had trouble with it whenever I made songs, too. You can play that part better by thinking of something that makes you happy." Octavia stood silent, and the unicorn continued, "How about taking a break from music to think it over?"

The grey earth pony nodded, "Okay, then." She looked for something to switch topics, "Vinyl, do you play any instruments?" she asked, remembering her cutie mark.

"Instruments? Well…I used to play the harmonica, but it's been years since I've even seen mine. Why?" Vinyl curiously tilted her head.

"Well, it's just that I saw your cutie mark, and I figured you played something."

"Oh! This thing," she said, turning toward her flank, "Before I wound up in the streets, I used to be an awesome DJ! I'd get the crowd going real good. Everyone would have a good time and-"

"Wait," Octavia interjected, "You were a…DJ?" Vinyl nodded. "Oh, well…" Octavia looked around, trying her best not to seem disgusted.

"Hey, it's not like a did drugs and all that," Vinyl said in defence, "I just gave music to those ponies. I swear, all the elites think we're just obsessed with drugs and booze and sex. They even suspect us for thefts! We're not all like that. I mean, yeah, I've gotten drunk, and stuff, but I've never done anything bad!"

The echelon nodded, "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Just don't do anything foolish."

Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her purple shades, "Whatever." She then remembered something, "Oh yeah, a mailmare came by this morning. She gave me a letter for you. Let me go get it." Vinyl said before running off.

To avoid the use of magic, she held the letter in her mouth. Octavia took the letter with her hoof and inspected it. The cellist sighed, "It's junk mail. We might as well throw it away."

"Whoa, you sure? Who's it from?" the unicorn asked.

"My parents. I don't want to read it," she dismissed.

"Why? I'm sure they-"

"I just don't," Octavia said, scowling. "I-I'm sorry. I just can't read that," she said, giving back the letter.

"Okay, you don't have to read it, but I won't trash it." Octavia nodded in agreement. "Now, how about I go make something to eat? Or we can go out."

"I don't usually go out on Saturdays, so maybe we could eat here."

"Alright. Well, I'm gonna get something cooking, okay?"

Just then, something crossed Octavia's mind, "Wait, Vinyl,"

"Yeah?" she turned.

"Are you blind?" the cellist asked.

"What? No. Why?"

"No reason. Just go cook." She dismissed.

Vinyl shrugged and left Octavia to practice. _Well, that answers that._ She thought.


End file.
